Cigarette with cooling and smoke condensing means and method of making it



9 J. s. FERNANDEZ 3,426,761

CIGARETTE WITH COOLING AND SMOKE CONDENSING MEANS AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed June 1, 1965 M f0 f6 fa 26 /9 i4 JOSE SHLVHDO n 9 2 luvs A/Tok United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The paper envelope of a cigarette is provided with small openings having a diameter of at most 0.04 millimeter in at least one annular zone located between the two ends of the cigarette and having a width of at least 3 millimeters, the openings being made by multiple static electrical discharges.

This invention relates to a cigarette with cooling and smoke condensing means, which greatly reduces the ratio of volatilised substances which the smoke when drawn by the smoker, generally contains, decreasing therefore its harmful effect for health. The invention also relates to a method of making the cigarette.

It is a known fact that in the combustion of tobacco, nicotine, tars and other substances which are toxical and/ or prejudicial for health are released and contained by the smoke, part of which is inhaled by the smoker and absorbed by the mucosities in the mouth and also by the respiratory organs.

It is also a known fact that a part of the said substaces is condensed when tobacco smoke cools, and is held by the last one-third of the cigarette and/or its filtrating mouthpiece.

It is likewise another known fact that if in the cigarette envelope holes are made, when the cigarette is smoked air passes into the envelope and mixes with the smoke, but owing to the high ratio of air-smoke, these holes are good only to reduce the volume of smoke drawn and then it is unpleasant to smoke the cigarette.

In addition it is a known fact that to cool the smoke when it passes through the inside of the cigarette, before being drawn by the smoker, is not enough to produce air opening intakes, because this air becomes mixed with the smoke mainly between the paper envelope and the tobacco leaves composing the cigarette core, without fully comprising one or several straight sections to interfere with the smoke passage with a view to cool and to become mixed with it.

It is finally a fact that an eflicicnt way of reducing the absorption of nicotine and other toxical substances released by the tobacco combustion, is to cause their condensation before they leave the cigarette end, contained into the smoke. Such a condensation depends evidently on the cooling degree as well as on the extension of the cigarette area where such condensation takes place, but it is evident also that this condensation has to be carried out with a minimum of air to be mixed with the cigarette smoke, in order that the latter may not lose its characteristic taste. There are cigarettes, wherein the paper envelope has some holes to allow for the air intake, these holes have certain valves in some cases and in others air has to follow a long way before mixing with the cigarette smoke, but in any case neither the nicotine nor the other toxical substances are condensed, which are held by the smoke in sufiicient ratio. This is so because smoke is not cooled in an efficient way and in addition the aforesaid holes allow for an excessive air intake, which when mixed with the smoke reduces the desired taste and flavour of ice the cigarette, and this because more air than smoke is drawn.

Being aware with the above facts and with the deficiencies shown by the systems and devices which up to the present have tried to solve the filtering and purification of the cigarette smoke, the applicant has designed and embodied the cigarette with purifying means to which this specification attached to the patent application, refers.

An object of this invention is therefore, to arrange in the cigarette paper envelopment a series of artificially made pores, produced in transversal group or alignment over one or more narrow areas. These pores allow for high speed air intake which practically reaches in very thin jets the cigarette core, causing air-smoke contact areas comprising a space defined by two straight sections more or less near each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a ciga' rette one or more smoke cooling areas, wherein the said areas are established at a suitable distance from one another and smoke cooling takes place at each of them together with the nicotine and other toxical substances condensation, which in a volatile condition are contained by the cigarette smoke when drawn by the smoker.

Another purpose of this invention is to make the artificial pores in the cooling and condensation area or areas, by piercing small holes through electrostatic discharges, the edge of each port remaining clean cut, even shaped.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigarette wherein through the artificial porosity area or areas little fresh air passes into at high speed, to be mixed with the smoke in a very small proportion without changing the characteristic taste of the cigarette smoke.

It is yet another object of the invention to obtain a specific ratio of smoke-air mixture by providing the artificial holes with a diameter comprised between 0.005 and 0.04 mm. distributed in zones 3 mm. wide.

These objects are attained by embodiments disclosed hereinbelow, reference being made to the attached drawing sheet where FIGURE 1 shows the development of a sheet constituting the envelope of a cigarette.

FIGURE 2 shows a cigarette together with its envelope as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 shows in a smaller scale, a longitudinal section of a cigarette such as the one in FIGURE 2, but comprising only the condensation and smoke air mixing zones.

In all figures the artificial pores have been represented with an exaggerated diameter, so as to be readily visible.

In FIGURE 1, 1 represents the paper sheet forming the envelope and 2 the end of that sheet forming to the mouthpiece through which smoke is drawn by the smoker. Before the said portion 2, the pores 3 aligned in a transversal sense, are pierced by electrostatic discharges in only one row, or in two rows 4, or in a multiplicity of holes irregularly distributed all over area 5 which is wider than previous ones.

The cigarette is wrapped by means of that paper sheet in accordance with FIGURE 2 where it is shown with its mouthpiece 6 and portion 7 which contains the tobacco, but in this cigarette are provided the artificially porous areas 34 and 5 such as stated, the latter comprising an entire peripheral zone which belongs to a straight section in the cigarette.

As shownin FIGURE 3, air passes through artificial pores 8, 9 and 10, as indicated by arrows 11, 12 and 13, and due to the fact that the pores have a very small diameter, in the range of 0.04 mm., the air penetrates at sufiicient speed to reach the center 14 in the cigarette, and consequently defined areas are formed among straight sections 15 and 16, 17 and 18, and 19 and 20, wherein the smoke caused by the tobacco combustion mixes with the cool air passing through pores 89 and 10, the temperature being therefore reduced. Thereby the condensation of the nicotine and other toxical substances which smoke contains in a volatilised condition, takes place and when they become condensed they pass into a liquid or semi-liquid state and are held by the tobacco leaves filling the said cooling areas, the smoke comes out through mouthpiece 6 with a lower ratio of volatile substances and likewise lower temperature.

I claim:

1. A cigarette having a tubular paper envelope filled with tobacco, said envelope having a plurality of tubular zones located intermediate the ends of the cigarette, each of said zones having a width of at least 3 mm. and being provided with a plurality of openings, said openings being distributed in each zone in a non-aligned manner, each of said openings having a diameter of at most 0.04 mm.,

the distance from one zone to an adjacent zone being greater than the width of said zones.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,385,246 9/1945 Wilsey et al.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,201,904 7/1959 France.

876,669 9/ 1961 Great Britain. 938,902 10/1963 Great Britain.

71,069 3/1959 France.

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 131-4, 15 

